Genetics & Molecular Biology

Johnny Rosin Up Your Bow, And Play Your Genes Hard

A new study has affirmed what most of us knew- practice makes perfect, but only if you have some ability. In the nature versus nurture debate, Usain Bolt is still going to run faster than most people no matter how much they practice. And that goes for mus ...

Article - News Staff - Jun 28 2014 - 9:51am

Genetics Matter: Sorry, Malcolm Gladwell, You Will Not Be Usain Bolt No Matter How Hard You Practice

Sorry Malcolm Gladwell, and you positive thinking book buyers at Whole Foods, you are not going to be a world-class sprinter no matter how much you practice unless you were born with exceptional speed. A new paper by Michael Lombardo, professor of biology ...

Article - News Staff - Jun 28 2014 - 12:06pm

"Tom Sawyer" Proteins Get Other Genes To Do The Work For Them

Writing in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, scientists have shown regulatory proteins in the nucleus to adopt a kind of “Tom Sawyer” behavior when it comes to the work of initiating gene activation.  Transcription factors are proteins t ...

Article - News Staff - Jun 27 2014 - 6:00am

Genetics Are Dominant Risk Factor In Common Cancers

Though cultural advocates invoke cancer for their causes, genetics is the dominant risk factor in common breast, prostate and colorectal cancers.  ...

Article - News Staff - Jun 27 2014 - 9:36am

Biology Of Fat: Process That Affects Metabolic Syndrome Identified

A new study has discovered that microRNAs (miRNAs), small RNA molecules that play important roles in regulation in many types of tissue, play a major role in the distribution and determination of fat cells and whole body metabolism. The study also finds t ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 2 2014 - 1:24pm

Nuclear Transfer Is Banned, But It's Superior For Creating Embryonic Stem Cells

In 2002, President George W. Bush authorized funding for human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) using federal money for the first time- but he limited that federal funding to existing lines. ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 2 2014 - 2:09pm

Wheat Genetics: Boron Tolerance Discovery Will Mean Better Yields

Researchers have identified the genes in wheat that control tolerance to a significant yield-limiting soil condition found around the globe; boron toxicity. ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 2 2014 - 1:32pm

Gene Type Linked To 26 Percent Chance Of Celiac Disease By Age 5

More than one quarter of children with two copies of a high-risk variant in a specific group of genes develop an early sign of celiac disease by age 5. The findings are from The Environmental Determinants of Diabetes in Youth consortium, TEDDY, also found ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 2 2014 - 5:39pm

This Kind Of Long-distance Relationship Remains Stable

Sequences of DNA called enhancers, which control a gene's output, find their targets long before they are activated during embryonic development, according to scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg, who write in ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 5 2014 - 12:30pm

Human Genome Reduced To 19,000 Genes- Almost All Hail From 50 Million Years Ago

The human genome and the messages coded by 3 billion letters that determine everything from how nutrients are metabolized to how neurons communicate in the brain. The detection and characterization of the genes present in this mass of information is a com ...

Article - News Staff - Jul 3 2014 - 10:48am